Passion's Captive
by Gwendal von Voltaire
Summary: Gwendal von Voltaire simply has no time for frivolities like love, but then he meets a healer with a nurturing personality. Who is this strange man anyway? Rated for language just to be safe.
1. Stormy Dreamer

I got so inspired this morning that I'm pumping out two chapters of two different stories. I'm still going to finish Ashamed, but I thought that it was tragic how few Gwendal/Gunter fics there are. I got the idea for the story title and chapter titles from kitt dot net. It's a prompt and title idea site. I'm not going to abandon this fic for 4 years like I did ashamed, so hopefully it'll be done by the 4th of July next year. I'm thinking it's going to be at least 20 chapters long. In this chapter I'm ignoring that Gwendal was clueless when Nicola went into labor because it's important to the plot. So without further ado, here's Passion's Captive chapter one.

Storms of the Dreamer

All of his life Gwendal von Voltaire had been a responsible young man. He had always strived to receive top marks in all of his classes as a child. He never wasted his efforts on things like parties and other frivolities. There was simply no time when one's mother was the Maoh and one had to be perfect. Even after his younger brother, Conrart, was born he still never wavered in his role as the perfect son. After becoming an adult he had taken on many of his mother's duties within the kingdom and he had found himself with even less time for a social life. His mother often scolded him for putting his social life on hold, but there simply was no time for such things in his life.

Gwendal often wondered what his life would have been like if he had been born into a poor family. He imagined that he might be married right now. Perhaps even with a child or two. He never shared these musing with anyone except his old tattered journal that his childhood friend Anissina had given him many years ago. Which is where we find our protagonist today, sitting in his quiet office with his journal opened in front of him.

Gwendal rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had been up since dawn finishing some paperwork that his mother had left to him yesterday so that she might attend a soiree. He had tried to convince her otherwise. Her pregnancy was nearing its end and a party was the worst place for a woman that heavily pregnant. It was just after 7 in the evening and he was ready to have a quick, peaceful dinner and then retire for the evening. As fate would have it, any notions of quiet or solitude were thrown out of the window as Anissina burst into the room,

"Gwendal! How long have you been in here? A week?" He sighed deeply and attempted to will away the headache he could feel coming on. Seeing that she was going to get no response, Anissina grabbed his arm and pulled him from the room. She began to pull him towards the medical wing of the castle when he stopped her,

"Where do you think you're taking me?" She rolled her eyes at him and gave him an unamused look,

"To the medical wing. Your mother just went into labor and she requested you be there." Gwendal paled considerably and followed after her without a word. The pair could hear shouting from down the hall. When they arrived, it quickly became apparent that the child would be arriving soon. The whole kingdom had been in a state of perpetual celebration after hearing that their beloved queen was to give birth to the daughter that she had always wanted. It had been predicted by the royal healer, a young man about Gwendal's age that he had yet to meet. In his opinion all of that fortune telling business was the exact kind of nonsense that he had no time for, but his mother prescribed to it and it made her happy so Gwendal wouldn't question it. He opened the door and stepped into what could very easily have been called chaos. His brother was holding their mother's hand as she sobbed that she was in pain. Their stepfather, Lord von Bielefeld was nowhere in sight. Healers were running about as though they were headless chickens and a man that Gwendal assumed was the Royal healer himself was trying to ease the pain in Her Majesty's midsection with healing magic. Gwendal approached the man,

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" The man gave him a relieved smile and nodded,

"Thank the Great One. We're in need of some towels and hot water. Unfortunately my staff are highly incompetent and forgot to stock the cabinets." He shot the floundering demons a disapproving glare,

"There should be some towels in my office just down the hall and you can find a faucet with hot water there as well." Gwendal nodded and took off at a sprint down the hall. He retrieved the items and brought them back to find that his mother was in the final stages of labor. He handed the bowl of water to the Healer and was instructed to give the towels to Conrart,

"Thank you very much. I appreciate your help, but can you wait in the hall with Lady Anissina?" After the panic and mayhem he just witnessed, Gwendal was more than happy to oblige. He shut the door behind him and sank to the floor.

No more than 20 minutes had passed when they heard the shrill cry of an infant. Anissina smiled at him and patted his shoulder,

"Your little sister. Now you can be over protective of her instead of pestering me with your worries." He just gave her a light smile. The door opened up and the lilac haired man from before stepped into the hall,

"It appears my prediction was wrong. Congratulations are in order. You have a new younger brother, my lord." Gwendal stood and followed the man in. His mother was lying on the bed with her hair plastered to her face with sweat. Conrart was in the chair next to the bed holding a tiny bundle with their mother's blond curls sticking out. He made his way over to the bed to see how Cecilie was feeling. She smiled weakly up at him and reached for his hand. He kneeled and grabbed her hand,

"You did well, mother. We're all proud of you." She laughed lightly,

"It seems you were right Gwen. Fortune telling predicted wrong. I should have known it would be a boy." Gwendal looked across the bed at his two younger brothers. It made no difference to him whether her third child was male or female. It was his sibling and he would protect him until his dying breath. He stood and moved to rejoin Anissina and the fair haired healer,

"Thank you. You helped my mother through this unharmed and the child is healthy as well. You have my eternal gratitude my good sir." The man smiled at his praise,

"You are most welcome and please, call me Gunter. I am Gunter von Krist, my lord." He stuck out his hand and Gwendal shook it. His heart leapt at the contact and he averted his eyes so that Gunter would not see the blush now adorning his face,

"I must get back to my duties now. I will return tomorrow to see how mother and the child are." He turned and sprinted out the door and back to his office.


	2. Everlasting Tempest

Thanks to all of my lovely readers. I'm hoping to get a few more chapters of both stories out in the next two days. For those who were wondering about everyone's ages, I'm estimating Lady Celi to be about 160,Gunter to be about 120, Gwendal and Anissina about 80(making Cecilie about 80 at the time of Gwendal's birth), and Conrart and Gisela about 40. In the anime, Conrart states that they are about 5 times older than they look and since it was stated that Wolfram was in his 80s and Conrart looks like he'd be about 25, I estimated that he'd be about 120 and therefore, 40 years older than Wolfram. It's all part of my OCD thought process. XDD For now, enjoy chapter 2 of Passion's Captive

**Everlasting Tempest**

Out in the corridor, Anissina stood waiting for him. She noticed the shocked look on his face and laughed loudly,

"What's gotten into you, Gwendal? You look like you just saw a ghost." He swallowed the lump in his throat and stuttered out,

"No-nothing. Everyth-thing is going g-great." Dropping to his knees, he let out a shaky breath and let his head fall back against the wall. The redheaded woman dropped down next to him,

"It bothered you that badly to witness a child's birth? Goodness Gwendal, you're not going to be like this when you get married and your wife gives birth are you?" Gwendal drew in a sharp breath. His hands were shaking and Anissina grabbed them,

"What is it Gwen? You can tell me." He shook his head roughly,

"No. It really is nothing. I think it's just been a long couple of days and my adrenaline is running out." His friend smiled at him,

"Let's go get dinner, shall we? It should just be the two of us." He followed after her into the dining room.

The next morning Gwendal awoke to sunlight hitting him in the face. At first he just let the feeling of pure bliss roll over him, but when he realised what time it must surely be, he shot up and darted about the room finding his uniform. He made his way quickly down the hall to the baths. He paused at the entrance to catch his breath. Upon entering, Gwendal realised that there was already someone there. As they were on the complete opposite side, he quietly removed his clothing and sank into the water. However, this person must've had acute hearing for they slowly made their way back in his direction. He sank lower into the water hoping to avoid notice. He had no time for pleasantries this morning. Out of the mist came the enchanting lilac haired Gunter. Unfortunately for Gwendal, the man did notice him. Giving a small tired smile, Gunter sat down next to him,

"Ah. Lord Gwendal. What a pleasant surprise. I didn't realise that you were here this morning." Gwendal grunted in response,

"I overslept this morning or I would already be in my study." Gunter hummed in thought,

"Well that won't do at all. You must get more sleep. It would be unfortunate if you were to fall ill. Here." The medic placed the back of his hand against Gwendal's forehead. The dark haired younger man felt his face heating up again. Satisfied in his findings Gunter admonished Gwendal,

"You're face is red and you have a slightly elevated temperature. You should rest today. Your office and duties will still be right where you left them tomorrow." Gwendal laughed hollowly in response,

"I fear the world would end if I were to take a day off. I already don't trust the kingdom in the hands of Lord von Bielefeld." He looked shocked at his own admission as did the pale beauty at his side,

"Your stepfather? Why ever not? He seems a respectable man to me." Gwendal moved to stand,

"I shouldn't have said anything. I forgot my place. Excuse me." As he turned, Gunter grabbed his wrist,

"Forgive me for prying, but I wouldn't mind if you were to tell me. One needs someone to vent their frustrations to every once in a while, no?" Gwendal sighed and resumed sitting. He was silent for a few moments before speaking again,

"I believe that he is up to something. The way that he looks at other women when he thinks that nobody is looking is disconcerting. Even last night, Conrart, a child, had to guide mother through her labor in his stead while he was gloriously absent. He wasn't present for the birth of his own son." Gunter nodded in understanding but let Gwendal continue,

"He doesn't care about his wife or child. The excuses that he gives mother for times when he has been gone from important functions are shady at best and full of holes. I have no doubt in my mind that he is taking another woman into his bed." Gwendal finished his confession in a pained whisper as though admitting it made it even more true. They sat in an awkward silence for several minutes before Gwendal slowly stood,

"I really must return to my duties. Thank you.. for listening." Gunter smile sadly at the boy,

"Anytime you need someone to talk to, my office is always open." Gwendal said nothing as he made a hasty retreat from the baths.


	3. Resigned

So I just noticed that all of my chapters are weirdly formatted. I had meant to have indentation and proper formatting for spoken sentences. As much of a stickler for proper sentence structure I am, it's truly embarrassing to have such a messed up structure for chapters. Thanks to all of my readers who are sticking around through my crappy typing. Here's chapter 3 of Passion's Captive.

**Resigned**

After making it to his familiar office, Gwendal sank into his familiar chair behind his familiar desk. The only thing not familiar in the room was the pounding of his heart. It seemed as though it wanted to dance right out of his chest, which would have suited him fine if it meant that it would torment him no longer. Every time Gwendal was around the older man, his pulse picked up and his face acquired the complexion of a ripened tomato. The only cure for it was to bury his nose in paper work and forget all of this nonsense.

He worked through lunch and only paused when he heard a knock on the door at 2:30 in the afternoon,

"Enter." The door opened and Anissina poked her head inside,

"I come bearing gifts." She held up a tray with a teapot, two teacups, and a plate full of sandwiches. He gestured to the side of his desk that was devoid of papers, but continued working. She set the tray down and placed her hands on her hips as he continued to ignore her,

"Gwendal!" At her shout, he looked up,

"What is it, Anissina?" She huffed at his gruff tone,

"Somebody cared enough about you to prepare tea and sandwiches since you skipped out on lunch again. The least you could do is eat!" He sighed and gave her a tired look,

"Why would you do something like this if you know how busy I am?" She grinned at him,

"Oh, but I'm not the one who did this." She poured the tea into the cups without saying a word else, letting it sink in.

On the other side of the castle, in his office, Gunter was also waist deep in paperwork. After the fiasco with the other healers yesterday, it was up to him to write up recommendations for each of them that they either sent back to the academy to further their training or to be moved to smaller apothecaries around the kingdom. Either way, they'd be out of his way with their blundering. Just last week one of them had accidentally switched two of his patients' medications which had led to one of the two going in to cardiac arrest. The woman would have died if Gunter hadn't jumped in and saved her.

He desperately needed a day off. His thoughts wandered to the young man he had spoken with that morning. Right about now, Anissina should have been delivering the tea and snacks that Gunter had prepared for him after lunch. He smiled at the thought of his younger acquaintance enjoying a break, but chided himself. Gwendal was just out of his childhood. He really had no business being involved with somebody as old as Gunter. The lilac haired man couldn't help his thoughts, though. His heart ached at the sorrow and stress that he could see clearly etched onto the younger man's features. He longed to hold the boy in his arms and chase away the bad things in his life.

Gunter then pondered over Gwendal's confession. If he was correct, the Queen's husband was having an affair. For something like that to be on the shoulders of one as young as Gwendal, it gave Gunter a heavy heart. Nobody should have to keep all of that bottled up inside, but Gunter could understand why he had kept quiet. Gwendal felt it was his duty to look after his mother's happiness and he knew that it would devastate her if she were to find out. He only hoped that Gwendal would indeed come to him again if the weight on his mind grew to be too heavy.

Realising that he wasn't going to get anymore paper work done today, Gunter decided to go for a walk in the gardens.

Gwendal and Anissina had just finished their tea and sandwiches. She reached across the desk and grabbed his hand,

"I know that something's been up Gwendal. You left the medical ward so fast that I thought your mother might have set your uniform on fire." Gwendal sighed,

"No Annie. That's your job. I assure you it's nothing." She wasn't convinced, but picked up the tray and turned to leave. Just as she reached the door she said over her shoulder,

"You should consider finding a wife. I'm sure she can help take some of the stress off of your back." Gwendal was left in the solitude of his thoughts. He had been wondering what having his own family might be like. Maybe a wife was exactly what he needed. His thoughts flashed to the medic that he kept running into. Gwendal shook the thought away. That man was surely married. As prestigious as his career was, Gwendal had no doubt that Lord von Krist had women throwing themselves at him. What did it matter to him anyway? He wasn't attracted to men. That settled it, then. Tomorrow he would send word out that he was looking to find a wife. At the very least, it would get Anissina and his mother off of his back.


	4. Let the Games Begin

This might be the last chapter of this story for a few days. I have so many ideas for the ending of this story, it's just getting there that's the problem. So I'm taking a bit of a break to string all of the ideas together. I promise not to abandon it, so your patience will be greatly appreciated. As always, thank you to my readers. I wouldn't have the motivation to write without you all. So let's commence chapter 4.

The next morning, Gwendal sent a messenger out to inform the other aristocrats of his search for a bride. He knew that several of them had female relatives about his age and were eager to get as close to the crown as possible. He sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose to relieve the headache that was coming on. He still had a massive stack of paper work left over from his less than apt attention the past few days. He couldn't seem to get the image of the lilac haired man from the bath out of his head and it was wearing on his patience. He was a trained soldier, damn it. There was no room for such trifling matters in his schedule and anyway, the man believed in all of that fortune telling garbage. There was no way that Gwendal could relate to that. He would be free of this nonsense when he found his bride. All that was left was to wait for candidates.

Gunter was fixing a splint on the leg of one of his patients when he overheard one of his subordinates giggle and whisper to her companion,

"Did you hear, Lord Gwendal is looking for a wife. Isn't that wonderful? Perhaps he'll choose one of us." The other woman squealed loudly,

"That's wonderful. I'd never work again if I married him. That's the life I want. He has an endless supply of money so I'm sure any bride he'd take would be set for several lifetimes."

"Not if his bride was you. You'd spend it all in a day, Hannah." The woman, Hannah, scoffed. They continued talking, but Gunter had heard enough. After finishing with his patient, he picked up his supplies and retreated to the confines of his office. He knew that it was an impossible dream that he'd have a chance with the handsome man he'd met only days before. After all, he was a lowly healer. Sure he was still a lord, but Gwendal would never have any interest in a bespectacled bookworm like him. The Voltaire heir was handsome, well built, and extremely wealthy. It only made sense that he'd want a beautiful woman at his side. Gunter sagged into his chair like a deflated balloon. He would need to forget about the young lord and the only way to do that would be to bury himself in work. The solitary life of a physician and a professor suited him better anyway.

Two days later, Gwendal received word that several of the kingdom's most eligible bachelorettes would be arriving in a week's time to be interviewed and he would choose his future wife from them. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders. His mother had been worried that he would grow old all alone. Gwendal was glad to assuage her fears. The nobility had also been on his case about producing an heir in the event of his death. it would be nice to be free of their constant complaints. Anissina had been worried as well and as annoying as she could be at times, she meant a great deal to him. He would be making several people happy with his marriage, but there was one other opinion he found himself wondering about. It crossed his mind how Gunter would feel about it. Gwendal shook his head. Why should the healer's opinion affect his decision. The man was a stranger who meant little to him, but that didn't change the fact that Gwendal sought his approval anyway. He cursed his wandering thought process. Whatever the older man's opinion, he knew that his mother and Anissina would be thrilled.

As if hearing his thoughts, the redheaded woman burst into his office,

"I've just heard the news! It's about damn time! I'm glad that you're finally admitting that a woman will improve your life. I was worried that you were gonna die a virgin or something." Gwendal snorted at that,

"What I do in my quarters is none of your concern, but I'm glad that you approve. I figured that it was high time I settled down and produced an heir. It's what those damn status chasers want." She burst out laughing,

"I'm sure that those old codgers would love to hear all the compliments you have for them. You're right, though. I'm pretty sure that a few of them would marry you themselves if it meant that they could rise in power." He said nothing in reply, but turned his gaze toward the window. Just across the courtyard, a small group of his men were sparring. A body landed on his desk, which caught the stoic man's attention. He turned back to find that Anissina had seated herself, cross-legged, on his important documents. He felt his eye twitch in irritation as she added,

"Of course you could always just marry me." As she leaned forward to jokingly kiss him, he stood and knocked her back,

"Do you have an important reason to be here or are you merely out of victims to torture?" She bristled at the insult and turned her face away in a mock pout,

"I did have an important reason, but I don't want to talk to you now." He groaned impatiently,

"Then get out. I have better things to do." As he escorted her toward the door she planted her feet and dropped the fake pout,

"Wait. I do have something important to say. Don't throw me out! Gwendal!" He didn't hear what she said after that as he had shut the door in her face. There was muffled speech before Anissina spoke loudly through the door,

"I guess that you don't care that your mother has named your baby brother and has been released to return to her duties tomorrow." That caught his attention. Gwendal opened the door before she had even finished,

"What did you say? Is she still in the medical wing?" His friend laughed lightly,

"No. She's in her room right now. Unfortunately, so is her husband." Gwendal's face fell. He had expected the bastard to be away for at least a few more days with his paramour. This threw a wrench into his plans. He knew that the man would undermine any decisions that he made concerning his future spouse. Not to mention all of the lies that he was probably feeding Lady Cecilie. He needed to see his mother immediately. He quickly left for her room with Anissina trailing behind and insisting that he slow down. Just as the inventor had said, Lord von Bielefeld was seated at Celi's side as she fed their newborn son. Noticing the new arrivals, The queen waved them in,

"Good morning Gwendal dear. Come say hello to Wolfram." Gwendal stared down at the infant in awe. The child would surely grow to fit his name. Already he had a powerful set of lungs that he frequently used and a full head of silky blond locks. As the child was currently drifting off to sleep, Gwendal had no idea what color his eyes were. He hoped that the boy would have his mother's eyes. Gwendal didn't know what he'd do if he had to look into eyes that resembled the blue of his stepfather's. The man in question eyed Gwendal suspiciously. He leaned back in the chair, scrutinizing the young man before him,

"So I hear that you're looking for a wife." Gwendal simply nodded absently. Not phased by Gwendal's nonchalance, the man kept speaking,

"Finally starting to act like a real man. It's about time you stopped acting like a child. Find yourself a nice, obedient woman who doesn't think too much. I don't like that wilful broad over there that you insist on cavorting with. She doesn't know her place." Not one to be spoken of in such a tone, she opened her mouth to speak, but Gwendal beat her to it,

"I'm afraid the one who doesn't know their place is you. Don't forget that your own wife is of a higher rank than you and she used to be just as wilful and independent as this wilful broad that I will continue to cavort with." The middle aged man leaned forward with a dark look on his face. Clearly he wasn't used to being corrected and Gwendal was enjoying every minute of it. His stepfather's face changed quickly from enraged to amused. He grabbed the front of Gwendal's jacket and whispered threateningly,

"I will end you boy. I've got your mother wrapped around my finger and with a single word, you're dead. Think about that." He let go and sauntered arrogantly out of the room. Anissina scowled in the direction he went,

"I really hate that man. It's like violence flows through his veins instead of blood." Gwendal couldn't help but agree. He braced himself for the storm that he knew was coming.


	5. A Simple Patrol

Okay, so I lied. All the little muse monsters were screaming too loudly for me to put it off any longer. So here it is, Chapter 5 of Passion's Captive, 4 days early. XD

The very next morning, Gwendal was preparing his horse for a quick patrol around the capital. The man who was usually in charge of that had been put on a leave of absence. There had been some complications with his husband's pregnancy and neither he nor the infant had survived. Gwendal really pitied his subordinate. He was now left alone to raise their first child, a daughter, he had heard.

Gwendal finished putting the saddle on his stallion when he heard footsteps behind him. Slowly turning his head, he made eye contact with the sole focus of his thoughts lately. Gunter bowed and muttered quietly,

"My apologies Lord von Voltaire. I thought that the stables were empty. I'll just be going now." He bowed lowly again and rose to leave when, against his better judgement, Gwendal stopped him,

"Wait. You don't have to leave. Continue whatever it was that you came to do." Gunter blushed lightly, almost imperceptibly to Gwendal's eyes,

"Well you see, I sometimes like to ride to clear my head. Silly, isn't it?" The younger male continued to hold the older man's gaze and refuted,

"No. It's not silly at all. It's quite a useful way of sorting through one's thoughts. I'm just going for a quick perusal of the town. Perhaps you'd like to join me?" Gunter gave an uneasy smile and agreed,

"Certainly. Just give me a few moments to prepare Sunneva." He took a few quick steps over to a horse three stalls down. She was a beautiful mare. Her coat was pure white and Gwendal felt his own horse nudge him out of the way to get a look at her.

Gunter saddled her up and lead her towards the exit nearest Gwendal. As they rode off, Gwendal remarked,

"She's a fine horse. I can tell you take very good care of her coat." Finally having a common interest to talk about, the healer replied,

"Thank you. As is yours. What is his name?" Gwendal grinned at the easy conversation,

"His name is Viggo." Gunter nodded his approval,

"That's a fine name for a strong horse." They rode in comfortable silence for a while, but Gunter's curiosity got the better of him,

"I have heard a rumor. Can you confirm it for me?" Gwendal looked over at him,

"You want to know if it's true that I'm getting married? It's been getting around quickly, but I suppose that's natural considering I am to be King one day. It is true." Gunter was puzzled by the crestfallen expression on the prince's face. He figured it must be a result of his late father not being there to join in the celebration,

"Have you chosen a bride yet?" Gwendal shook his head,

"No. I have yet to meet any suitable women. What about you? Are you married?" Gunter let out a series of light chuckles,

"I haven't the time for something like that. No, I'm afraid even getting away for a short ride like this is a blessing. My job is never finished. I think that any spouse I would have would only grow upset at my inattentiveness." Gwendal's heart gave a little leap upon hearing of the lilac haired demon's unmarried status. He understood fully how it felt to never have time to yourself. Gunter blushed again,

"But I must be boring you. You have an infinite amount of work to do and I couldn't imagine how stressful it must be." Gwendal laughed,

"Not at all. Your work seems even more infinite than mine. At least my staff aren't incompetent. I think that I might find myself at the bottom of a bottle every night if I had the workload that you deal with." The two men continued to laugh as they approached their destination.

As they neared the town, Gwendal slowed his horse to a trot so that he could take in his surroundings better. The patrol was turning out to be just a standard inspection. The town seemed to be just as peaceful and happy as always. There were children playing, women gossiping as they went about their shopping, and men joking casually as they worked. Once again, Gwendal found himself envious of the people with such simple lives. When they turned down a road to head back toward the castle, a woman with blonde hair ran out of her shop waving happily to get their attention. Gunter, recognising the woman, quickly dismounted and ran over to her. She threw her arms around him in a tight hug, they exchanged a few words, and she darted back into the shop. Gwendal felt his stomach sink, but raised an eyebrow,

"Your lover?" Gunter laughed again,

"No. That was Charlotte, my sister's fiancée. My sister, Isabella, looked up to her when they were children and when our parents died, Charlotte took her under her wing. I think it was inevitable that they would fall in love." His smile was positively radiant. Gwendal felt his mouth go dry and his heart flutter for the hundredth time that day. Charlotte returned with a woman who was obviously Gunter's sister. The woman had the same shade of lilac hair as his companion and their eyes were unmistakeably the same. Isabella was toting a picnic basket and shoved it into Gunter's hands with a grin,

"Hello, brother dearest. Lottie was right, you haven't been eating enough." She shushed him as he tried to argue,

"Shut up and take the basket. You and your handsome companion can stop for a romantic lunch." Both Gwendal and Gunter's faces turned bright red, but only the former was rendered speechless. Gunter scolded her,

"This is Lord Gwendal von Voltaire. Show some respect." She smirked slyly at him and he was dreading what sort of vulgarity she was about to to let loose,

"So you've snagged yourself a prince, eh? Well done. How is he in bed?" Gwendal choked on his own saliva at the crass, blunt comment and Gunter was left stuttering,

"Th-that's hardly appropriate! It isn't like that at all! I am merely accompanying him on a routine patrol." Her smirk only grew and she nodded in a knowing manner. Isabella retreated back into the little shop, gesturing for Charlotte to do the same. Upon returning the second time, she held a wrapped package. She held it out to him and said, "I've been meaning to give you this for a while now. Don't open it until you're safely back at the castle. It's a book of secret magic techniques. Don't thank me, just enjoy the afternoon. Till next time brother." She waved at them both and Gunter turned to look at a shell-shocked Gwendal,

"I want to apologize. She oversteps boundaries quite often. Our parents raised her to be a proper lady and I know that Charlotte tries to reign her in, but somehow she still manages to be like this." As the shock wore off, Gwendal started roaring with laughter,

"That is the only woman I have ever met, except Anissina, that has ever had the gall to talk about me that way." Gunter laughed along with him. It was turning out to be such a lovely day so he pressed his luck a little,

"I don't mean to be presumptuous, but they did pack a lunch for us and there's sure to be too much for one person. Perhaps we could take a well earned break?" Gwendal's smile grew and he gestured for the older man to lead the way.

AN 2: Please don't kill me. The muse monsters were starting to grow bigger and if I didn't stop here, this chapter would be several thousand words long. This will be the last chapter until Monday or Tuesday because I'm busy all weekend, but I had to get this one out of my head.


	6. You Can Let Your Hair Down

Just a quick author's note before the chapter begins, I am looking for a beta reader for my stories. If you're interested, send me a PM and I'll decide who to pick. My standards are a bit stricter than the site's. I require any applicants to have at least 10 stories or 10,000 words. They also, must be able to beta yaoi, yuri, and mpreg. I can take harsh criticism, but it must be constructive. It can't just be something like, "This story sucks because I don't like it." That doesn't help me at all. Something like, "This chapter isn't very good because the plot feels rushed and there isn't enough character development." is what I'm looking for. Also, thank you to Tsume. The thing is, I've been formatting as you suggested, but when I posted the chapters, they were reformatted and squished together in a weird way. I do appreciate the help, though. That's all for now. Here's chapter 6 of Passion's Captive.

There was a little meadow, not far away, that was a breathtaking sight. There were flowers as far as the eye could see in every color of the rainbow. Some of them had an iridescence that made them appear to even change colors. During the late spring time baby bearbees made their homes here. As Gunter placed the basket on the ground, one of the bearbees had made its way over to Gwendal. It buzzed around his head and he held out his hand for it to land on.

Gunter's heart soared at the peaceful expression on the young lord's face. This was always his favorite place to be alone with his thoughts and relax. It brought him joy to be sharing this place with another. He reached into the basket and pulled out a purple pear. Using a small knife from his pocket, he cut a small piece off and held it out for the bearbee that was still sitting in Gwendal's palm. The creature took it with a happy, "Nogisu!" and flew away. The healer pulled a blanket from the basket and spread it on the ground. He then reached in and pulled out a small stack of dishes.

After he finished unpacking the basket, Gunter's content gaze fell upon Gwendal who appeared just as content, "Thank you for inviting me along, my Lord. I apologize again for my sister's brash familiarity."

Gwendal waved his apology away, "I've told you that I don't mind. I really do believe that she and Anissina would get along well. Perhaps we should introduce them?"

Gunter nodded idly at the suggestion, "Yes. Perhaps we should. I've heard that Lady Anissina has been trying to drum up support for women's rights?" He handed Gwendal a glass of wine, which the man took with a smile.

The Voltaire lord chuckled, "Indeed she has. Ever since we were children, she's been hellbent on proving that women are superior to men. I love Anissina like I would my own sister, but she can be a handful at times. There was this one occurrence where she was trying to prove that you don't need another partner to become pregnant. She spent five days in her lab before finally emerging with this potion that bubbled horribly and had the color of rotten tomatoes. Naturally she made me take it. It tasted like mud and turned my hair salmon pink for a month. She said that if I had become pregnant, it would've turned sky blue instead. Either way, she pouted for another three days after that." Gwendal's chuckling turned to outright, uncontrollable laughter and Gunter joined in. The younger man took a large gulp of the sweet liquid in his hand.

The rest of the afternoon passed by just as peacefully with the pair occasionally swapping stories and jokes. As it neared early evening, Gunter packed up the dishes and bowed low, "Thank you for the wonderful day. It's not often I get to relax with pleasant company. Go ahead without me. I must return the basket to Charlotte."

Gwendal laughed lightheartedly, "It was my pleasure. I'd like to accompany you, if I may. I need to thank your sisters for the lovely food."

He took the basket from Gunter's hands as the older man smiled coquettishly at him, "You don't have to carry the basket, Gwendal. I'm not as frail as I appear."

The younger lord mounted his horse with the basket, "You carried it all the way here, unpacked, and repacked it. The least I can do is carry it back." He left no room for argument as he set his horse off at a fast canter. Every once in a while, he looked back at Gunter who had mounted his own horse and was quickly gaining on him. The lilac-haired beauty was laughing with abandon as he fought hard to remain in the saddle. Even the two horses seemed to be competing with each other.

Eventually, Gunter and his mare pulled ahead. He saw his sister's shop in the distance and knew he was going to win. He pulled the reins back, dismounted and laughed as his horse gave a pleased whinny. Gwendal appeared a few moments later with the picnic basket. After dismounting, Viggo walked over to Sunneva and nuzzled her neck fondly. The two men wiped their horses down to prevent them from becoming ill and then knocked on the door. Charlotte answered it and grinned when she noticed the peaceful aura surrounding the two lords, "Did you two have fun?"

Gwendal bowed to her, "Indeed we did. Thank you so much for the food." The woman gestured for them to come inside. Gwendal followed his pale companion, still carrying the basket. They were led into the residence part of the building and Gwendal placed the basket on the kitchen counter. Charlotte started pulling out the dishes and put them in the sink.

Gwendal fidgeted nervously, "May I help wash them?"

She turned her gaze on him and grinned broadly, "That would be wonderful. Thank you. There's a pump out back and a bucket if you would be so kind as to fetch some water." He bowed again and went to fetch the bucket.

After he was out of hearing range, Charlotte turned to her brother-in-law, "He seems polite and smart. He'd be a good match for you."

Gunter laughed hollowly, "I am far too old for him. Even if our ages were closer, he is still the Queen's oldest son. What hope do I have of even becoming a contender in his love life?"

The woman nodded pensively, "Those are valid concerns, but I saw the way his eyes kept darting over to you. It's the way a person looks at the one that they long for."

This elicited another laugh from the man, "He is not even attracted to men. He is looking for a bride. As we speak, all of the most eligible women in the kingdom are on their way to the castle. He will have a wife by the end of the year. I do not have the time nor the energy to become involved, anyway."

Charlotte pulled him in for a hug, "I love you brother, but you can be so stubborn. I won't press the issue."

Gwendal walked back in with the bucket to the sight of the two embracing, "Is something the matter?"

The healer smiled mournfully, "No. It is nothing to worry about."

Charlotte took the water and shooed the men away, "I've got it from here boys. You two go on home."

Not wanting to risk her telling Gwendal about their discussion, Gunter quickly left. There were no words spoken on the ride back. The sun was just beginning to set as the pair reached the stables. They put their horses in their respective stalls and as Gunter passed Gwendal on the way out, the orange sunlight caught his hair in a way that made the prince's heart race. Without taking a moment to reflect, the younger man wrapped his arms around the medic's waist and captured his lips in a kiss. At first, the older man responded positively. He even brought his hand up to bury it in Gwendal's hair, but he quickly realised just where he was and who the soft pair of lips belonged to. Gunter pulled back and refused to meet Gwendal's eyes, "I am terribly sorry. I seem to have forgotten my place, my Lord. If you'll excuse me." Gwendal watched with a heavy heart as the man retreated back into the castle.


	7. To Transgress the Transgressor

Not much of an author's note today other than saying that there may be more time between chapter posts because I've picked up more hours at work, but I will try to get at least 2 a week posted per story. Here's chapter 7 of Passion's Captive.

Gunter's reaction the night before only solidified Gwendal's resolve. He knew that there was no way that there could ever be a relationship between them. He chided himself for his foolishness. The fair-haired healer probably thought of him as a brat now, a bratty prince who always complained. It didn't matter anyway, Gwendal reminded himself. At the end of the week, there would be a line of women for him to choose from. He would put the older man out of his thoughts for good.

As the week went on, however, Gwendal found that the medic had somehow ingrained himself into the young lord's head. He had no idea that Gunter von Krist had become such a central piece to his life in such a short amount of time. He found himself at ease in the older man's presence, in a way that he hadn't felt since he was a small child. Conversation came so easily between them. He was almost dreading having to pick a woman. There was no way that any of them could even hope to rival Gunter's gentle spirit, or the peaceful atmosphere that the man brought into his life. Whatever reservations Gwendal had about the upcoming interviews, the end of the week was quickly upon him.

It was growing late in the afternoon and he had interviewed at least a dozen women. His mother and stepfather were present as well as the rest of the ten aristocrats, including Gunter. The first woman he had met was a beautiful blonde with a wonderful figure, but she had no opinion on any of the questions that Gwendal asked her. Which made him think that she had been coached in what to say. The prince suspected that they all had. His favourite so far was a violet haired woman with green eyes. This woman at least had a laugh that she couldn't reign in no matter how many dirty looks her father, Lord von Rochefort, shot her. The first woman, a descendent of the Bielefeld territory, was naturally his stepfather's favourite. Finally they came to the last name on the list. Gwendal had to do a double take. The last name was Anissina von Karbelnikoff. Even without her name being called, she could tell from his expression that it was her turn.

She walked up to the steps leading to the throne and grinned at him, "Hello Gwendal. Surprised to see me?" He cleared his throat and gestured for her to meet him in the hall.

After the door closed behind them, Gwendal wheeled on her, "What in the hell were you thinking? This isn't a joke!"

She crossed her arms and scoffed, "As if I'd take a joke this far. It was my brother's idea. He said that I needed to put all of my foolishness aside and behave like a real lady. Just to spite him, I let out a massive burp." She seemed proud of herself, but Gwendal squeezed the bridge of his nose for what felt like the tenth time that day. Without a word, he turned and walked back into the throne room.

Taking a seat once again, he looked out over the nobles and their relatives, "Thank you all for your time. I'll let you know in the morning what my decision is." All of them left the room as quickly as possible. Gwendal was left with his mother and Lord von Bielefeld.

The blond man sauntered over to Gwendal, "The blonde one was a beauty wasn't she?" The young prince only grunted in response. She was honestly one of the last women that he would have considered a good match for him.

He read down through the list again, "I was rather fond of Lord von Rochefort's daughter."

The older man snorted distastefully, "Oh yes. The loud mouthed comedian."

Gwendal turned in his seat, "She has a knack for finances that would be helpful to running the kingdo-"

His stepfather interrupted, "A woman's place is by her husband's side. Not running a kingdom. I'm not going to argue with you about this. You are going to marry my second cousin."

Lady Celi placed her hands on her husband's shoulders, "Gavril, perhaps we should let Gwendal choose. It will be his wife after all."

The man slapped her hands away, "What would a child know of making the right choice?! Your son has these notions of peace and equality for women in his head!Clearly I haven't been strict enough with either of you. I need to deal with this wretch first, but I'll see you back in our chambers." The glare he pinned her with left no room for argument.

As Lady Celi fled, Gavril turned his glare onto Gwendal, "Why must you put ideas in her head?! She'd know her own place if her good for nothing spawn didn't keep defying me!" He pulled his hand back and backhanded the youth as hard as possible.

From his sprawled position on the floor, Gwendal spat blood onto his stepfather's boots, "Maybe if you weren't such a piece of shit, we wouldn't be having this discussion." The older demon flew into a rage. He grabbed his stepson by the collar of his jacket.

He pulled him up so that they were face to face and ground out, menacingly, "I will make your life hell, you worthless little shit." Gavril threw Gwendal to the ground again and unsheathed his sword. Gwendal hadn't thought to bring his own, considering that he was just going to be meeting potential wives. He closed his eyes tightly, anticipating the strike, but he heard two swords clash instead. The prince opened one eye wearily, to identify his savior. Both eyes widened greatly when he realised that it was Gunter. The healer fought with a grace and prowess that Gwendal never even suspected the man possessed.

When he noticed that Gwendal was still kneeling behind him in awe, Gunter shouted out, "What are you doing, fool? Run!"

He turned his attention back to the fuming man in front of him, "Lord Gavril von Bielefeld! How dare you attack an unarmed prince?! You will pay for you transgressions!" That was all Gwendal heard as he beat a hasty exit from the room. The sound of swords clashing could still be heard from down the corridor as Gwendal made his way back to his bedroom. He collapsed onto his bed with a gasp and tears poured forth from his eyes. Never before had he been that scared for his own life. As he calmed down, the adrenaline left him and he gave into his body's need for sleep.

This took a completely different turn than I had planned. Due to this, there will be a sequel. There will be a few chapters after this one, however. Originally Lord Gavril was just going to be a pain in the ass for a chapter or two, but I think that he's going to be my new antagonist for this story and the next one. Til next time.


	8. Operation Impending Doom

I am so sorry that I haven't updated in 2 weeks. My muse decided to be lazy. I've decided to split this story into two parts because the plots are so different. So there will be a sequel after this. I dedicate this chapter to hagadoe because she is awesome and reviews every chapter. And now onto chapter 8.

After Gunter and Gavril's fight, the lilac-haired man was arrested and thrown into a cell full of esoteric stones to prevent him from escaping. His trial was scheduled for two days from now. Word had spread quickly that Gunter had only fought the man to defend Gwendal's life. The trouble was, attacking a member of the royal family was punishable by death. It infuriated Gwendal that Gavril, being married to the Queen, was above that law. It was times like these that he wished his stepfather hadn't forbidden him to knit. He needed something to help him get his mind off of everything. These past couple of weeks had been complete chaos. As if it wasn't bad enough that he was being forced to marry a woman that he couldn't stand, there was his stepfather treating his mother like his own personal footrest, and now the only person he'd ever opened up to was going to die for saving him. His hands shook as he tried to will away the tears building in his eyes. How in the world had all of this happened? He should have just kept quiet. He shouldn't have made the older man care about him. It wasn't fair that he was being punished for Gwendal's foolishness. He ended up losing the battle against his tears and they came flooding down his face as his body shook with sobs. Never before had he felt so lost and alone. He felt as though he were being carried out to sea with no hope of rescue in sight. The only thing he could think to do was visit the healer in the dungeons.

Gunter had his head resting against the wall of his cell. His hair was matted and dirty from his struggle with the guards as they pulled him off of Gavril von Bielefeld's bleeding body. It had started as a simple duel, but when the blond had disarmed Gunter, he had snapped. He threw himself onto the man and started punching as hard as he could. He didn't care where his blows landed. He just wanted the man to pay for hitting an innocent woman and her child. The fear that he saw in Gwendal's face, when he believed that he was going to die, made Gunter's blood boil. He had seen his fair share of abused women and children in his time as a healer, and all of them had felt like it was their own fault that they were abused. With each person that Gunter saw, his patience with abusers had run dry. He supposed that this was the reason he had reacted so strongly. Though it probably helped that Gunter wanted to protect the Voltaire heir with every fiber of his existence. Whenever Gwendal smiled, the medic felt as though the gods were watching over them after all, and he'd be damned if he let some drunken aristocrat threaten the tiny amount of hope that Gwendal still clung to. He'd come back from the dead to defend the young lord, if he had to.

He heard the door to the dungeon creak open and somebody shuffle down the stairs. It was hard to make out their identity in the dim candlelight. This person was too thin to be one of the bulky guards. As he passed a candle on the opposite wall, the features of Gwendal were lit up. Gunter felt himself smile weakly at the boy, "What are you doing here?"

Gwendal knelt in front of the cell and reached his arm through the bars to take Gunter's hand in his own, "I wanted to see you. I'm sorry that you're in this mess."

Gunter wrapped his arm around Gwendal, through the bars, in an awkward half hug, "Don't you dare apologize. I'd gladly fight him 100 times over if it meant keeping you safe." The tears in Gwendal's eyes began again, at a slower pace.

Gunter wiped them away, "It's going to be okay, I promise. I'm right here." He placed light kisses on Gwendal's eyelids and forehead. The younger man clung to him desperately, as though he would be gone the second he let go.

One of the guards stepped in at that moment, "I'm sorry my Lord, but I was given the order to not let anyone touch the prisoner." He really did seem apologetic. Gunter suspected that he had been one of Lady Celi's guards until Gavril took over the kingdom.

The guard started to lead Gwendal away by his arm, but the young man resisted, "I'll not leave him alone in this place!"

Gunter smiled serenely at him, "Don't feel sorrow, Gwendal. I'm positive that we will meet again in another life." The younger lord choked on his tears as the guard finally managed to escort him out.

When the door finally closed behind them, Gunter lost his composure. He hugged his knees to his chest and let his own tears fall, but his tears weren't for himself. He lamented the thought of what Lord von Bielefeld would do to Gwendal in Gunter's absence. He only hoped that the boy would learn to defend himself.

The next morning, Gwendal was ordered to report silently to the throne room again. His mother was absent and Gwendal had no doubt that it was due to the torment her husband had put her through two nights prior. The sadist in question leered down at the young man, "You're probably wondering why I called you here. I've decided to accept my cousin's marriage proposal to you in your stead. I've called you here to inform you that in six months time, you're going to marry her. Oh yes, and you will be present at the trial for that traitor to the crown. That's not negotiable."

Gwendal grit his teeth to prevent himself from delivering a sharp retort and bowed low, "Yes, your majesty." Without being excused, Gwendal turned and left swiftly. He had to tell Charlotte and Isabella of Gunter's impending trial. He darted to the stables and, without even bothering with a saddle, mounted his horse and made for the town.

I'm sorry it's so short. It's gonna have a happy ending. I promise.


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